Manichaeism was preached by the Gnostic
sect of the Manichaeans. Although the sect was bitterly fought by the early
Christian Church, the Church was greatly influenced by Manichaeism through
the later teachings of Saint Augustine, especially by his doctrine of original
sin which the Church readily accepted. This was after Augustine converted
to Christianity and begun writing theses against the precepts against his
previous teachers.

The Persian prophet Manes or Mani founded the Manichaen sect in the third
century AD. In legend his life seems to be almost an reincarnation of Christ.
He was born of a holy virgin named Mariham, or Mar Mariam, whose title was
"Mother of the Life of the Whole World." Mani performed the general
feats that any Saviour performs. He preached, healed the sick, drew about
himself twelve disciples, and eventually was martyred. He was crucified
and flayed by a Persian king perhaps as a surrogate.

Mani's doctrines were strictly Gnostic and puritanical. They included
the strict abomination of all matter, especially the flesh. The Devil created
the material world and also made sex to entrap the ethereal souls in the
prison of the flesh. Similar views were taught by the Essenes.
The Manichaeans abstained from sex, from all animal food, and eggs, believing
all flesh was evil if begotten by copulation.

Fish was edible on the pretense the fish did not propagate sexually but
spontaneously came from the "living waters." On the practical
side perhaps some Manichaeans thought they should eat sometime besides seeds
and weeds. The adoption of the Christian Aphroditean fish symbol to represent
Christ was perhaps derived from Manichaeism.

Both the Manichaeans and Christians shared the same view that the world
is evil. The significant difference between the two groups sharing the view
was to cause or originality of the world's evilness. The Manichaeans said
the god, or devil, created an evil world while the Christians claimed Adam's
Fall, Augustine's doctrine of original sin, caused the world to become evil.

The diversity of these two beliefs inevitably led to another schism between
the two groups. The Manichaeans did not accept the belief that the Church
sacraments were holy of themselves and therefore sanctified the Church and
its people, as the Christians believed; but, held "that the virtue
of their clergy was the actual and sole agency by which the principles of
spirit and light, caught in the meshes of material darkness, was to be released
and returned to its proper state."

According to Mani, the devil god which created the world was the Jewish
Jehovah. Mani said, "It is the Prince of Darkness who spoke with Moses,
the Jews and their priests. Thus the Christians, the Jews, and the Pagans
are involved in the same error when they worship this God. For he leads
them astray in the lusts he taught them."

In legend, like Christ, Mani was tempted by the demon-god on the mountain
top. In return for His worship Christ was offered "all the kingdoms
of the earth." Christ refused and so did Mani.

Mani said he was the reincarnated Christ, then he took on the powers
of the Holy Spirit as he chose twelve partners or disciples to come out
of Persia and spread his teachings. It might seemed hard to believe he had
followers, but he did. It is said that Augustine was a Manichaean for more
than a decade before becoming a Christian.

The orthodox Church fiercely battled Manichaeism during the early centuries
thinking that it had rooted the teaching out but it kept cropping up in
the Middles Ages in sects such as the Cathars,
Paulicians, Albigenses
(or Albigensians), Bogomils, and many others.

The Church had reasons for wanting to stamp out this heresy, and one
of them was that the Manichaeans and other related sects stressed the holiness
of their leaders and priests. At times this alone was extremely dangerous
for the Church. A.G.H.